Die.



C. F. PFLANZE.

APPLICATION FILED FEB-"IL i915.

Patented 0st. 24,1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

UNrrED STATES' CHARLES E. PELANZE, 0E sir. LOUIS, IvII'sSoUEL'ASSIGNoEor ONE-.HALE To DENNIS J.

' f eALvIN, 0E ST. LOUIS,` MISSOURI.

lDIE.

Specification of Letters Patent. i Ptented Och 24, 1916.

Application mea February 171; 1915. serial No. 8,722.

To all whom t may concern j Be it known that "I, CHARLES F. PFLANZE, acitizen of the United States of America, a resident of thecitylof St.V4Louis, State of Missouri, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Dies, of which the following is a full, clear, and eXactdescription, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming apart of this specification.

My invention relates to'a, die particularly adaptedfor use in cuttingsheets of paper to produce envelop blanks. A

One of the objects of the invention islt'o produce a cutting die whichmaybe easily and quickly adjusted to cut envelop blanks, or otherarticles, of different dimensions.

Another object is to provide an eiiicient means for accurately truingthe cutting elements, and this is preferably accomplished by bending aportion of the die structure to adjust the cutters with respect nto eachother.

In the manufacture of envelops 'a high degree of accuracy is required informing the blank sheets, for if the blanks do not conform precisely tothe desired configuration, the envelops will not be of thedesiredsymvmetrical form. It has been. found in practice that the adjustabledie structuresheretofore employed in cutting envelopv blanks, arefrequently bent so that the cutters are displaced from theirpredetermined posi- Y tions. Another undesirable feature of such diestructures is the diiliculty in constructing and assembling thedifferent elements to produce a die of the desired accuracy. The mainditliculty lies in .locating and maintaining the corners ofthe cuttersincertain relative positions, wherein they will form the corners of atrue rectangular figure. This rectangular'fgure is the vshape of theenvelop, and if the corners of the'angular cutters are not located intheir properfpositions, the envelop will not beav true'rectangle. i I

In accordance with the preferred vform of my invention, the cutters areconnected to each other bymeans ofa yieldable frame,

and a bending device is associated with this frame.v The bending devicemaybe readily adjusted tobendv the'yieldablef*framef-thereg Figure I isa top or plan view ofa die embodying the features of my invention. Fig.II is a side elevation. Fig. III is an enlarged horizontal section,taken approximately on the line III-III, Fig. II.

A and B designate cutters arranged to vform two pairs of cuttingvelements, the cutters Aconstituting one pair and the cutters FBconstituting .the other. pair. The

. cutters are lpreferably angular blades, ar-

ranged at an angle to each other and sharpenedat their lower edges. Thedotted lines ylrand 2 represent the outer edges of the closure flaps ofan envelop blank, and the dotted lines 3 are imaginary lines showing theshape of the envelop as it appears when the flaps are folded. Thecutters are provided with corners 4 which lie at .the corners of therectangular figure produced by the dottedlines 3.

The structure about to be described includes a connecting device, meansfor adjustably securing the cutters to said connecting device, and atruing device for bending the connecting device so as to positivelylocate the corners -L at the corners of the rectangular figure producedby the dotted lines 3.. fThe cutters of each pair may be adjusted towardand away from each other,

- and each pair of cutters may be adjusted toward and'awayfromthe otherpair.

The means for'connecting the cutters comprises a main rod 5,'crossshaped coupling members C slidably fitted to said main rod, andbranch rods 6 firmly secured to said coupling members by means of pins7.' The branch `rods 6 terminate in the coupling members C, but the mainrod 5 passes entirelythrough said coupling member at pointsv between theends. of the branch Arods 6.

E designates split sleeves firmly secured to the cutters by meansofinuts 9, each of said sleeves being Vprovided with an abutment whichengages the outer face of a cutter and a screw threaded end 10 for thereception of the nut 9. The slots 1l formed in the split sleeves extendfrom the outer ends of saidsleeves and terminate at apertures 12. Thesleeves E are slidably'fitted toafthe rods f6', and theirfree 'outerends may -fbe coltraetedto "firmly engagefsaid rods, thereby mlysecuring the' 'cutters to' the ends @raie lestes 'nana pviaedClinedyabument feces .14 adapted P0, engage the yieldable Aends ofV saidsleeves, Shown sleeves are preferably inclined, or slightly curved, atthe points Where they engage tlfe abutment.facesV 14, s that, thepressurefeierred by 'tightening the nuts 13 vnu Ipesitively and firmlyforce1the.g-.ye1dable ends of the sleevesinto engagement With the rods`6. It JWill be noted that the cutters may be .easily and quickly,adjusted .p o'n the ,redsi-, fbysimply unscrewing thenuts 14,slidiiigtl1e sleeves along Athefrods 6 and .then tightening he nuts l4f'to.secure the cutters in .the =.desired .positions.

, .Each coupling member C isprovided with a split .sleeve E', similar tothe sleeves;E, ,and a nut `13,,adapted tocontract ,th`e;1.yield able,tend of said split sleeve, so astosecure said coupling member C:td-,the rod 5. Each -paii' 10i `cuttersmay* be .adjustedtoivard .andaway `from ,the-othergpair :by unscretving.one

.ot the nuts 13 to release .a coupling membier member ,along rtherod. 5,fand thereafter tightening y the nut 13- to securefthei coupling member.

'Inusi-ngzthe `die itis placedupon the. pile of sheets to be cut, andthen ".forcedzdown- 'Wfardly by pressure applied toltheftopifaces of thecutters. It is somewhat .diicultito obtain absolutelyistraight rods 15,andlthe'y are frequently bent in handling `the ldies. .lhefparts are soV'constructed ytliatifjthe rod is not .perfectly straight, the cornersaon the cutterswvillnot lieat4 the Acorners of the rectangulargureproduced A.bythe .dotted lines 3.` l, therefore, .provide means Fioradjusting `the cutters to compensate .for a bend in :the rodv 5. yEachcoupling member C` is.rigidly secured to a pair of cutters, ,and-irmlysecured at one of its lends .tof'the 'rod-.5.. The yieldable ends Yofthe,split gsleeves E iirmlyengagethe rod 5, .butthefborell 1(Fig. Hl) islarger in diameter'thanfsaid -rod..V Each coupling member C ispreferably reduced thicknessat 17 so that it may vabe :bent Ito adjustthe .cutters with respe'ctto l.the lrod5. The means for bending theicouplingmember C comprises threaded 'mem- ,bers 18 screwedontosaidcoupling members, each; 0f said threadedmembers lbeing provided Vivithan inturned annular i flange y19 adapted to engagethe rod. 5. The a'xis,of-

- eachythreaded; member x18 glies at angangle to 3 the ,axis of rrod 5,so that vthe threaded'member may be rot-atedsin one direction to :forceits annularyflange 19 vinto. engagement with -nefsideof )iod 5,- and 'itm'ay :be rotated `the opposite directionto :engage n the opposite side.g of l the rod. Nlhen :the

threaded member 518 occupies..1the @position Vshoyvnxin Fig. III, itengages the 1od"5 .at :and the :coupling member4 C is; be'nt l'from Cfrom the rod5,xthen.sliding said"coluqgligl its nomalposition. A bend in"the VoppositeWdirection may be reduced by screwing the member 1g8t`oreleaseannulariiange 419 `fromf-'the:point and to force said annular,flange into engagement with the rod 5 at the ipoint Xf.

'.1 elaiamf "1. ldie. having cutters, a split sleeve se- ,Cll'fedP-QI1-Q ld cutters, a connection device including a rod to which saidsplit sleeve is slidably.itted,.;and` athreaded `Incin- ,ber l.screwed.onto said. split sleeve, said ,threaded member. having an inclined.abut- 'inentxface adapted to engage an end of said splfit sleeve ,toiforc'efit into engagement with saidrod,

1 2. die comprising cutters, connecting r-Inembers. uniting saidcutters, one of `said comieetingwunembers being yieldingly -se'- curedto another, and a screw threaded inemyber:surr'ounding and ffitted to?tlie lastmen- '.tioned connecting inember, said screw threadedmemberbeing operable to .bend the ryieldable,'connecting member.

.y f3. .1A diexcomprising cutters, connecting ,members uniting said`Vcutters, said vconnecting members including'a rod and atubularvLmeniber;.surroundingsaid rod, and ya cutter truinggfdevice screwed,onto said tubular zrneliib i fand adapted to engage said rod, the axistofsa'idc'utter truingxdevice being atan .'anfgleztoasacid rod.`

L4. `die comprising cutters, connecting members uniting .said cutters,said connectmembersincluding a rod and a tubular .member "surroundingsaid rod, said tubular membe'rf'being 'yieldingly Ysecu-red tol saidrod, and `a Arotratailole "cutterftruing device i surrounding` said"`rod and 'tubular .member -aiidscreued 'onto said tubular` member, saidcutterQ-truing device having an inturned portion adaptedgto 4engage saidrod and the axis fo; f" said cuttertruing device `being at lan angletothe axis .o'f "said rod.

5. A die comprising cutters, connecting' .nieinbersru-niting saidcutters, said c0nnectfingxmem'bers. 4including a rod' "and a tubular,inember.` surrounding said i rod, s-aid tubular-:memberfbeingyieldingly secured to said rod, :andamotatable cuttertruing device sur- -froimdingsaidrod andtubular member and screwed -ontosai-d tubular member, said cut- Lter taining device having an inturnedannular flange4 adapted to engage. opposite sides of said rod and theaxis of said cutter truing .;device beingat an angle to the axis ofsaidTod. y W I '1.6. die comprising two pairs of angular cutters (arrangedto Y cut envelop blanks, said ctters being Y :provided y.With cornersJari @ranged :togorniitlie corners of a rectangular f igure,-ai;,yieldable ...device connecting said 'atwopaifrs Eof .uttersand acutter vtruing de- .iceasscciated vvithandsecuredito said lyieldabledevice, said cutter truing devicewbeing lli) operable to bend saidyieldable device so as to vary the positions of the cutter corners whichform the corners of the rectangular figure.

7. A die comprising angular cutters arranged to cut envelop blanks, saidcutters being provided With corners adapted to form tlie corners of arectangular figure, connecting members uniting-said cutters, and acutter truing device for truing said cutters to compensate forirregularities in said connecting device, said cutter truing devicebeing secured to and movable independently of other elements of the dieso as to position the cutter corners at the corners of a truerectangular figure. A

8. A die comprising angular cutters arranged to cut envelop blanks, saidcutters being provided With corners adapted to form the corners of arectangular iigure, a conf necting device, adjustable fastening meansfor securing said cutters to said connecting device in differentpositions to provide for the cutting of envelop blanks of differentCHARLES F. PFLANZE1 In the presence of- E. K. CLARK, A. J.` MCCALEY.

Copies oi' this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by `addressingthe Commissioner of Patents.

Washington, D. C.

